LLISWERRY residents braved the cold weather on Sunday, December 9, for an afternoon of Christmas carols in Black Ash Park.

Newport Male Voice and Newport Philharmonic choirs both sang at the event organised by the Lliswerry Community Association.

The carol service is the second stage of the organisers' “reclaim the park” project, which is aimed at tackling local anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in the area.

More than 200 residents of all ages turned out for the event, which followed on from a family event which had been running for the previous four weeks.

Families were encouraged to follow a mapped "snowman trail" through the neighbourhood, collecting letters and completing a Christmas phrase.

Children who completed the trail met Santa Claus on Sunday to exchange their completed maps for a chocolate treat.

James Peterson, chair of the Lliswerry Community Association, said: “It was very gratifying to see how this event has developed, the local community is at its best when joining together – and the carol singing was truly magnificent.

"We are grateful for everyone’s support and look forward to many more such gatherings as we improve the site at Back Ash over the coming months.

"The council has money put aside to develop this park and its about time it was spent."

Andrew Sterry, the association's secretary, was delighted with the support of the residents and said "we were unsure of how the community would react to the snowman trail and this kind of event at the park, but we’ve had so many residents thank us for todays event, its been amazing to see everyone joining in and supporting us."